Sperm Retrieved From Brain Dead West Point Cadet

Sperm was retrieved from a West Point cadet who had been declared brain dead after a skiing accident.

The retrieval of sperm from 21-year-old Peter Zhu was granted by a judge at his parents' request. The retrieval occurred Friday before his organs were removed for donation later that day at Westchester Medical Center, the Associated Press reported.

The judge ordered the sperm stored pending a court hearing March 21 to determine the next steps.

Peter Zhu was declared brain dead Wednesday, four days after a skiing accident at West Point fractured his spine and cut off oxygen to his brain.

His parents, Monica and Yongmin Zhu of Concord, California, said in a court petition that they wanted to fulfill at least part of Peter's oft-stated desire to one day raise five children. Peter was their only male child, the AP reported.

The first documented sperm removal after death occurred in 1980 and the first baby conceived using the procedure was born in 1999, according to medical journals. The request is typically made by a surviving spouse.